As a number of federal agencies, healthcare organizations and other businesses begin to transition to the cloud, they must be aware that the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all solution, according to MeriTalk.
The publication spoke with industry experts about the federal government's focus on the cloud to gather insights and lessons learned from agencies in the midst of their transitions. MeriTalk then translated those insights into five best practices agencies can take when moving to the cloud.
Here are five recommendations for organizations shifting to cloud solutions.
1. Develop a strategy or plan. Organizations should always follow a predetermined plan when instituting any type of organizational change, and the cloud is just that: a transformation shift of a delivery model.
2. Conduct a full assessment of your IT and data center environment. Be sure to understand what your organization owns, what it's operating and what things it wants to take advantage of with the cloud and its capabilities.
3. Adequately train staff. Staff should be trained for the transition, including migration issues, monitoring and managing systems in the cloud, and how to operate virtual machines. It is also important that senior management supports the move since there is always some resistance to change. Organizations should start small by moving easier aspects, like customer management software, to the cloud first.
4. Integrate security at all phases of the transition. Make sure both your organization and your cloud provider understand what levels of security they are responsible for, respectively. Language should be clear in contracts and business associate agreements.
5. Refine the way your organization operates. Since the cloud changes the way users request applications or seek support, some resources will no longer be used. Organizations should continually refine their processes and procedures to benefit from all the cloud's capabilities.
More articles on cybersecurity:
24% of physicians can't identify phishing emails: 5 things to know